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I have been very diligently avoiding yard work by actively seeking out other less onerous projects. One project I began this morning (and completed the first stage of far too quickly) might be of interest to some other members of this board.

I have wanted, for a long time, an interior dome light that would not conflict with the military aspect of the vehicle. A few years back APC dome lights came to my attention and having procured a few a couple of months ago for the truck bed and trailer, I started giving more thought to how to mount one in the cab without drilling any holes or permanently modifying the truck in any way.

This morning I made a trip to the hardware store and picked up a couple of dollars worth of nuts, washers, screws and clamps and mounted the APC dome light in the cab. I was worried that, being as heavy as the light assembly is, that it would rotate on the cab top bar. I was pleasantly surprised to be wrong (as usual), and the mount is very solid. All work was done with the top in place. I will now drive the truck around for the next few weeks to see if the mount remains in place or bends downward. If it remains in place, I'll contact Joe at Vintage Wiring of Maine and have him make me a harness; because the light grounds through the case, I will need a two wire harness because I do not want to drill any holes in my cab top bar. I will use Velcro straps to hold the harness to the top bar which will make removal easier when I want the top off. The bar clamps are no more trouble to take off than the bolts for the window side pieces that bolt to the windshield frame.

I will post the details of the wiring, if people are interested, when that part of the project is in work.

Below are some photos of the installation (to this point) for anyone who might be interested.

52 M-42

Looks good I have been wondering where to put mine, thanks for the idea.

Ditto-I like that setup!
Gary

Great addition, I can't wait to see more detail.

Bert

Over the last couple of weekends I completed my Dome Light Installation for the cab of my M-37 / M-42.

I photographed the process for anyone else who might be interested in adding a dome light to their truck.

The weather has warmed up quite a bit since I initially installed just the Dome Light Module with rubber covered wire clamps, which worked fine in cooler weather. On the day I chose to finish the project, it was sunny and over 85 degrees. The dome light rotated downwards and would not maintain position. This was the first design flaw I needed to correct.

So, starting at the beginning of this Modification Adventure, I prepared the truck by partially removing the cab cover.



Next I tried using silicone tape to provide a better gripping surface for the clamps.



This was not successful. Other tapes, and additional layers, were also unsuccessful. I discovered in my search for a non permanent gripping surface that friction tape is no longer available. There are things that are similar, but old school friction tape is gone.

Eventually I was forced to use # 6 Screws, 3/8 X 32 thread to hold the clamps to the top bar.



The comprise was that while I had to drill holes in my top bar, they were small holes which can easily be welded shut by someone in the future who wants to restore the truck to a stock configuration. They are also hidden by the cab cover.

Once I had succeeded in securing the module in the correct position I laid out all the items I would need to complete the wiring installation. The wires were ordered from Vintage Wiring of Maine. Joe was very patient and helpful in the design process, and built and shipped the parts very quickly. He even included the correct numbered aluminum tags for the wires.

Installation components are shown in the picture below.



I started the wiring from the Dome light module and worked downward toward the battery box and the circuit breaker.

First, however, I installed the power wire to the light ( # 38) and the ground wire from the light into the wire sleeving. This was more difficult that it sounds.



Next, using the Velcro strapping I routed the sleeved wires along the top bar while keeping the Velcro ends on the back side of the bar to keep them hidden and prevent inadvertent removal. Below are some views of the routing. Some photos have had their background removed to more clearly show the cabling.











This is a view of the routing behind the passenger seat back.



Here is a view of the cable prior to attaching the ground wire (it will be attached to the lower of the two bolts penetrating the cab on the back panel shown).



Routing power from the battery to the circuit breaker was the next step at this point. The battery box had a 5/16th hole drilled next to the Cargo Bed Auxiliary Power Cable penetration. A grommet was inserted in this hole and the power wire was passed through. The dielectric grease helped with this installation. The Battery to Circuit breaker battery connection is a "flag" type terminal which made the connection much more compact and easy to protect.











The final step was to connect the circuit breaker to Dome Light connection, turn on the power with the battery disconnect switch and function test the installation after rechecking all connections and routing.

This test was successful so the close and cover process was begun. However, prior to the final finished project photos, here are a couple more photos of the circuit breaker connections. The wire in the photos is not in its final gently curving state to relieve strain, but rather is arranged to show the wire tags and connection configuration.







After restoring the truck to operating condition, a few final photos of the completed project and the dome lights on.








...And so ends another M-37 Modification Adventure...........



52 M-42

Storm, you are not one for half measures are you? That looks like it turned out pretty slick when it was all completed.

When we talked last time, you told me three canvas companies. I've forgotten the names. What were they again? I really need a new cab canvas.

thanks!

-jim lee

Hi Jim,

The canvas companies I know of are:

Midwest Military
- John stocks and sells J. J. Johnson canvas. This is the company that originally made all the M-37 canvas items.

Beachwood Canvas in New Jersey.
- High quality products with a price to match.

WeeBee Webbing of New Jersey
- Excellent Products with a more reasonable price.

New Life Canvas of Minnesota.
- Mona Roth is the owner and she has the best prices but she is very difficult to get in touch with.

There maybe others that I'm not familiar with, so hopefully someone else will be along to add some additional vendors.

52 M-42

Hi Storm,

This is a very nicely done and well thought out installation "how to" photo group, thanks for sharing. Looks good.

Bert

Thanks, Bert!

It was certainly more fun than doing yard work.

I've always wanted an interior dome light in this truck. I just never could find one that looked correct.

52 M-42